


A Happier Day

by Bluewolf458



Series: Days [4]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-29 23:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13937871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Jim and Blair take Matt shoppingThis follows An Ordinary Day,  A Not So Ordinary Day, and A Better Day





	A Happier Day

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo prompt 'Shopping'

A Happier Day

by Bluewolf

December 26th dawned bright and clear.

Jim lay, warm and comfortable, enjoying the unaccustomed feeling of content. He was, he realized, happy. Happy - at this time of year. He made a mental note to contact his brother sometime soon, to have a discussion with him about future Christmases. He gave a passing thought to asking his father about it too, but decided that that was probably a lost cause.

Meanwhile, the post-Christmas sales would be starting in an hour or two.

What to buy for Blair? Matt, he decided, could choose for himself what he wanted. But Blair? Yes, he could let Blair choose what he wanted too, but he had a feeling that Blair would sneak off to buy something to give to Jim, and he really wanted to reciprocate in the same way.

But would it be possible to sneak away? He sighed. Possibly not. All right... next year he would start planning early.

The alarm - that he didn't really need to waken him but always set to tell him when it was definitely time to get up - rang. He reached over and switched it off, then swung his legs out of bed.

"Jim?"

"It's okay, Chief - I'm just going to get my shower. You can stay in bed till I get back."

"Like that'll be more than ten minutes," Blair muttered.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed when Jim returned; he grinned and headed downstairs.

When he left the bathroom - having taken a little longer than Jim - Jim was already dressed and in the kitchen investigating the fridge. There was the sound of movement from the downstairs bedroom.

Jim grinned. "Yes, I wakened Matt," he said. "Remember we're taking him shopping today."

"I know... though the shops are going to be pretty crowded today - first day of the sales."

"Just the way things have worked out," Jim replied. "But we do need to get out early to stand the best chance of getting something good for Matt... and I want to get something for you, but I realized I wouldn't have a chance to slip away to get something, so this year... I'm sorry, but if you see something you want, tell me - and don't worry about price."

"You don't need to," Blair said. "You told me a couple of weeks ago that you didn't 'do' Christmas, and now I understand why - "

"I wasn't quite being Scrooge, but - well, I'm the 'after the three spirits' Scrooge now. I can see I've been following my father's expectations ever since I was eight. _He_ was the one who couldn't - or wouldn't - let Mom's death go. _He_ was the one who made Christmas a time to mourn, every single year."

***

It was just after nine when Jim, Blair and Matt left the loft and headed into Cascade. Wilkensen Tower seemed the best place to go; and yes, it was busy, but probably not as busy as some of the more specialized shops. Jim led the way to the children's floor and they began to wander around looking at things.

It was obvious to both men that Matt's attention was drawn to a train set - one was laid out with a train going around the line. Matt watched it for a minute then turned away.

"Matt - do you want that?" Jim asked.

"It costs too much," Matt replied.

"Do you want it?"

He knew from the look on Matt's face that the answer was 'yes', and headed for the counter. He bought the set and a box of extra lines to extend it a little, as well as a mixed box of additional bits and pieces like trees to set out along the increased length. "We can easily find a corner of the living room to set this up," he said.

"Now, is there anything else?" Blair asked.

Matt looked at him. "That's more than enough, Uncle Blair."

"That's from your Uncle Jim," Blair said. "I want to get you something too."

In the end, he settled for an archery set - a bow and target, and arrows tipped with sucker pads. "Stories about the Indians and what they could do with bows and arrows sound so exciting," he said.

Blair nodded but said, "We call them Native Americans or First Nation. They were only called 'Indians' by the first Europeans to come here, because the first explorers thought they'd reached India. They didn't know there was another continent in the way - as well as another big ocean."

"Oh. Right. But I've sometimes thought I'd like to learn how to use a bow properly, and this is a good way to start."

"Yes," Jim said. "And when you feel confident with this, we can find a club where you can learn how to use proper arrows. Now, we're going to find something for your Uncle Blair."

"Didn't you give him something yesterday?" Matt asked.

"Yesterday, I was an idiot. Today I've got more sense."

They went up two more floors, Jim carrying the bags with Matt's presents, and Jim led the way to a shop that had a big display of watches. "Would you like one of these, Chief?"

Blair looked at them. His first instinct was to echo Matt - 'it costs too much' - but then he realized that, to Jim, giving him something like this would, in a way, be compensating for all the years he had ignored Christmas. "Thanks," he said softly, and chose one - careful to select one that was middle-of-the-range, price wise. Then he said softly, "I have your present at home."

"You do? How?"

"I'd already bought you something before you told me you ignored Christmas - so I was keeping it for your birthday." He let Jim fasten his new watch onto his wrist. "Not as nice as this, but...

"Anyway, let's have lunch, then get home, you get your present and we get Matt's train set laid out."

Jim nodded. Life, now, was good.


End file.
